Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due.

Review

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading this. The idea of the main character being a reluctant succubus, was great and the chemistry between Allison and Ren was almost perfect.

I am used to succubus being evil creatures who are driven by lust and the need to suck the life out of whoever they can. However becoming a monster who kills with her lady bits, is Allison’s worse fear so she has sworn off men completely.

Allison and her twin sister Jade are both Succubus, but while allison goes so far as to dress in gothic clothing and dramatic makeup to scare guys away, her sister is more comfortable around the opposite sex.

Apparently, a single kiss provides a succubus with a euphoric and addicting high, but it also drains the person they kiss and leaves them feeling exhausted for the next couple of days. Allison spends a lot of time worrying about her sister because Jade likes kissing, and isn’t willing to give it up even if the boys in their small town are starting to realize that they always get sick the day after making out with her.

This makes the relationship between the sisters strained, but I could also tell how much they loved each other. I was expecting them to be a lot meaner to each other than they were, but no matter how many times they fought, they always made up.

I was expecting this to simply be a paranormal romance, but there is a good amount of mystery involved in the story. It also took a very gutsy turn about half way into the book. I was pleasantly shocked by what the author chose to do with one of the character. I can’t tell you anything about it without spoiling, but my jaw was on the floor and I had to take a break from reading just so I could catch my breath.

The relationship between Jade and Ren developed quickly, but I was too busy enjoying them to care about the insta love. They have some steamy moments, but things never became too graphic, and I really liked how blunt and honest they could be with while discussing their romance. They were in a relationship that could never lead to sex, but they handled it with a sense of humor and never considered walking away. That was refreshing. Overall, they were very sweet together, and I hated to see the story end because I wanted to read more about them.

It would make much more sense if Allison or Ren decided that they just couldn’t handle being together without ever being able to have a physical relationship, but I believed them when they said it was about more than sex so they were willing to live without it. Not sure how long that is going to last, but it was nice that they tried. I mean, I’m all for waiting, but never is a LONG time. lol

I haven’t been this excited to read the next book in a series in a long time. There is a lot of potential for the story to get even better in the next book, and I am looking forward to meeting new characters and getting to know more about succubus–succubi? Succubuses? However you say it, I am looking forward to learning more about them.

If you like paranormal romance, you need to read this one. It is a welcome addition to the genre.

Because of language and sexual content, I would recommend this book for ages 16 and up. They don’t have sex because they can’t have sex, but they talk about it, and there are a couple of steamy almost kissing scenes with no graphic detail.

4.5 Roses

Author Biography

About Angela V. Cook

Angela V. Cook lives a very unexciting, but never boring, life with her husband and two children just outside of Detroit. Like most writers, she’s been making up stories for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine a life that doesn’t involve creating worlds.

Angela loves to write novels for teens because it’s the best outlet for her sarcastic personality, immature sense of humor, and love of romantic firsts. Her idea of the perfect day involves a quiet house, a good book, and a piece of cheesecake. Or two.